Superbly versatile snare from the German maestro

Over the last several years, Benny Greb has become a major name in the drumming world, a name synonymous with taste, groove and musicality, with his clinic appearances and numerous recordings and projects (not to mention his best-selling DVD) offering a truly fresh approach to the art of drumming. In the relatively short time that Benny has been so prominent, he has already helped design a highly regarded range of cymbals through his association with Meinl (the signature sand ride and hi-hats), and now has his very own signature snare drum that he has developed with Sonor. As a long-time fan of Benny’s playing and approach, I was very eager to get my hands on this snare.

Construction

Measuring 13” x 5.75”, the beautifully clean-looking shell is made of Benny’s preferred beech wood with a Scandinavian birch veneer finish. The shell is 5mm thick, with eight lugs top and bottom, featuring Sonor’s TuneSafe system, which holds in place the 2.3mm power hoops. Heads-wise, the drum features a medium single-ply white-coated batter, along with a thin, clear resonant head, both made for Sonor by Remo. The simple, unfussy snare mechanism holds in place an 18-strand snare wire. A special ‘personalised’ Sonor badge, featuring a cartoon head of Benny with his signature underneath, also adorns the shell. All shell hardware is finished in chrome, which further adds to the overall clean appearance of the drum, but as you’ll see from the photos, that is not the end of the story: the birch shell also features a rubber-like inlay around the middle of the shell, which at first look made it appear that the shell was vented, but alas it’s not. While this ring makes the drum aesthetically different, whether it actually affects the sound or not I’m unsure, even after spending a lot of time with this drum.

In Use

Straight out of the box this beautiful-looking instrument sounded as good as it looks. Without changing the tuning, which was tensioned quite high, it offers a clear, precise tone that is very responsive to the slightest touch, giving you perfect ghost strokes to embellish any groove, along with great depth and body, giving this drum a much bigger sound that belies its 13” shell. Rim-shots are bright and loud with a significant amount of high-end ring which projects incredibly clearly but never overpowers the full tone of the drum. Play with brushes and you get even more of that fantastic response, with even, consistent tones being coaxed out of the drum from even the most delicate of strokes, making this one of the most versatile snare drums I’ve played in a long time.

Conclusion

This drum is quite easily one of the nicest, most versatile instruments I’ve had the pleasure of playing. Each stroke, no matter what velocity, is met with superb response, from the quietest of buzz rolls to the heaviest onslaught of rim-shots. Every beat is delivered with true clarity, making this drum as musical as the player whose moniker it carries. Quite simply superb!

Joey Kramer and Corey Miller Signature Snare Drums

Ludwig snare drums are one of those rare products in the drumming world that, with just the mention of their name, tends to get drummers excited … drooling even! Ludwig’s famed Black Beauty range, for example, are often quoted as ‘must-have’ snare drums by many of the world’s top players (regardless of whichever drum brand they choose to otherwise endorse), while their Supra-Phonic snares are among the most recorded snare drums in history. With over 100 years of history behind the company, as well as a list of endorsees past and present such as John Bonham, Ringo Starr, Roger Taylor, Ginger Baker and Carmine Appice to name but a handful, it’s understandable that these drums are held in such high esteem. With this in mind, we had that same sense of excitement when these two snare drums landed at Drummer’s office. Take one look at the pictures and you too will understand why! 

In Detail

Both drums come from Ludwig’s ‘Black Magic’ range of snare drums, which the company describe as ‘bringing that [Black Beauty] signature sound and quality to a whole new playing spectrum’. Both  snare drums share similar features: both are 14x6.5” beaded brass shells, they both have 10 tube lugs, feature a simple yet effective snare throw-off, 20-strand snare wires and coated Ludwig-branded batter heads (we replaced the standard, supplied head with the Remo Corey Miller Tattoo Skyn head on the CM signature snare … why not!?). The main difference, however, is in the finish: the Joey Kramer ‘Hit Hard’ signature model is coated in black nickel, with fully matching black hardware, finished off with a beautiful dragon design, laser-etched into the shell, along with a classy-looking ‘J.K.’ logo and Aerosmith-inspired badge design surrounding the air vent. Possibly the coolest thing is actually not immediately visible: inside the shell is a sticker of authenticity giving full details (model, serial number) along with Joey Kramer’s personal signature – a very nice touch indeed! 

In stark contrast to the black nickel finish of the JK model is Corey Miller’s signature model. Finished in a brilliant-white coating, with a very intricate design created by Corey himself etched into the brass shell, dragons, roses, skulls and hearts, along with Corey Miller’s signature, are all incorporated into the design, which together with the clean-looking chrome hardware makes this snare a very strong contender as one of the coolest-looking drums around! The other main difference between the two models is the choice of hoops. The Joey Kramer model features die-cast (black) hoops, while the Corey Miller model features triple-flange hoops (chrome).

In Use

Due to their matching construction, both drums also share similar sound qualities. At a medium tuning, both drums sound fat and warm, each note producing deep tones that are perfect for rock, punk and metal, with both snares offering clear and precise articulation. The slightest stroke can be heard, while rim-shots give a loud crack coupled with a high, ringing overtone, which can be very easily controlled with a little dampening, although I preferred the open sounds produced without any dampening as, to my ears, they added just a little extra projection to the notes being played. Turning the snares off, you get a very open (when undampened), loud, singing timbale-sounding tone, perfect for funky Latin-influenced fills and reggae-type grooves. Crank both heads up a notch and these drums really start to sing – crisp, funky and slightly drier but still retaining the warmth, depth and fatness they provided at the lower tuning. Slightly tightening the tension of the snare wires to match the higher tuning of the resonant head helped to produce excellent response from the drums – from the quietest buzz rolls to the heaviest onslaughts, all hits are delivered perfectly. At both tunings, rim clicks give a very defined – clear and well projected, with lots of body and just a hint of overtone from the brass shells, which would be perfect for many different musical styles, from pop/rock ballads, through Latin, reggae, hip hop and dance-type grooves. Finally onto brushes, and both drums were very sensitive to the slightest sweeping stroke, with that sensitivity continuing as you played more open strokes, with each note, no matter how quiet, eliciting just the perfect amount of snare buzz to match the tone that the batter head and shell produce.

Conclusion

The Ludwig snare drum tradition of producing versatile and classic-sounding snare drums is continued here. As well as being superb-looking drums, they also sound punchy, defined and clear and are suitable for a variety of musical settings due to their excellent response at a dynamic range. Throughout the time I spent playing these drums they handled whatever I threw at them (not literally) with ease, sounding great whether it was quiet, laid-back jazz brush patterns, ghost stroke-laden funk grooves or full-on metal onslaughts. To my mind, that makes both of these snares more than capable of being a great ‘all-rounder’ and continuing the tradition of the respected Black Beauty.